Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift from God; not as a result of works that no one should boast.” What does it mean to be grace-driven? It is understanding the need to remove self from the equation. You see self wants to take the credit for good works. Self wants to justify the greatest sin which is the separation from God. Self wants to point out what are other people’s sins and short comings. Self wants to satisfy its own desires. As long as self is in the picture, we cannot receive the gift of grace. Grace is the understanding that we are separated from God by sin. There are no good works we can do to bridge that separation. There is no way to distract God from noticing our sin by pointing out what other people are doing. In Luke 18:9 it says, “And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and viewed others with contempt.” The parable tells of two men, a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee told God he was thankful he wasn’t like others who were swindlers and adulterers. The other man was a tax collector, who was unwilling to get close to the temple or even lift up his eyes to heaven, but he cried out to God, beating his breast saying, “God, be merciful to me the sinner.” Which was justified? The one who thought because he wasn’t like the other sinners; he fasted; he gave his tithes? Luke 18:14 Jesus tells us who was justified, the sinner. This man recognized that nothing he could do of himself would bring about redemption from God. He could only call for God’s mercy. Grace is a gift of God through faith. It isn’t earned by works. It isn’t deserved. It is a gift. John 8:7 “But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them. “He who is without sin among you, let him be first to throw a stone at her.” Verses 10-11 in John 8 gives us a glimpse of God’s grace. “And straightening up, Jesus said to her. “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” and she said “No one, Lord. and Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way from now on sin no more.” All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. When we recognize this, we begin to understand God’s gift of grace through faith. We begin to be grace-driven.
Leave a Reply